Forty students from West Kirby Grammar School marked the end of term by spending a day on the town’s beach tidying up litter left by visitors.
The girls, accompanied by four teachers, filled 15 bin bags with litter after just a few hours.
“The pupils were amazed by the amount of litter they found,” said deputy head teacher Michael Scott. “They were also surprised by the range of items they discovered.
“Alongside the usual drinks cans and ice-cream wrappers the students encountered two pairs of sunglasses, three odd socks, a broken wooden chair and even a discarded bra.”
The ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ project was part of two days of activities organised by the school to celebrate traditional British values of democracy, tolerance, respect, individual liberty and community cohesion.
Every item found on the beach was recorded on tally charts, with the girls competing in teams to see who could find the most rubbish along the beach and among the rocks.
Said Mr Scott: “They left feeling they had made a real difference to the cleanliness of the beach, but before they did, there was of course time to enjoy a well-deserved ice-cream!”
More than 20 activities took place to celebrate aspects of British culture, including Irish dancing, Punch and Judy, orienteering and a debate on whether we should be accountable for historical decisions.
Said Mr Scott: “Our British Values days involved students and staff working together to celebrate the diversity of Great Britain, giving something back to our local community and marking the end of a very busy year at WKGS with a final, communal lunch on the Back Field.
“Our students were magnificent in embracing new activities, going out of their comfort zone and trying something new.
“A particular highlight for me was the ‘Last Lunch of the Proms’ with over 85 musicians performing Prom Classics after only a few hours of rehearsal!”
